Leftover Crack Fall Tour 2025 comes to Detroit at The Shelter.
Leftover Crack at The Shelter 12/01/2025. All photos courtesy of Paul Holstein
The night started with a line to get in, even when we arrived a full 15 minutes after the doors were supposed to be open. My first thought was that it was a good thing, as there would be more of a crowd than I had expected on a weekday in below-zero weather and icy roads. A lot of us had left our coats in the car in anticipation of going right in (where it would ultimately be hot) and were left shivering as we waited in the cold. Ironically, they had gone down the line and passed out plastic baskets to make the process of searching us more efficient, and several people had to abandon those to put their hands back into their pockets. Eventually, about 20 minutes after the stated time, they started letting us in. At that point it was a smooth process of getting patted down, and then a separate window to grab my ticket and photo pass.
The Shelter is a 347-person capacity venue in the basement of St. Andrew’s Hall (a much bigger venue), and we were told it was only about a quarter sold. That must have changed with people paying at the door, as it was at least half full by the time Leftover Crack took the stage. In fact, I was surprised at how many people were there even before the first band, local favorites The Lowcocks, even came out. As a photographer, the roped-off area wasn’t ideal for photos. It did give us (me and one other) the ability to photograph the drummers. The lighting was also not ideal, and they pumped quite a bit of artificial smoke into the air, but it was good for just enjoying the show, and that would be the focus of the night.
The Lowcocks played a dozen originals, including their new songs, with their usual intensity. I always love that they have a few Oi! songs where singer Anne Bradley holds up a card that says “Oi!” so that the audience can chant along. I recently reviewed their new CD, “The Forgotten,” which is excellent and includes their cover of Dolly Parton’s “9 To 5,” which they also included in this set.
World’s Scariest Police Chases from Pittsburgh has been around for 15 years and recently released “Tell My Mom and Dad I Love My Mom.” I hadn’t spun that yet, so I was looking forward to the live set to get me started. It was a great set that will definitely prompt me to spin a few of their releases, and especially to look for what appeared to be a crowd favorite, “Gay Jesus.”
Leftover Crack at The Shelter 12/01/2025. All photos courtesy of Paul Holstein.
Leftover Crack has 6 members fronted by dual vocals from STZA and Tibbie X, and they play a very specific sub-genre of punk rock referred to as "Crack Rock Steady." They took a few extra minutes to set up equipment that included both guitars and keyboards for STZA and set lists everywhere. It was a massive 20-song set that started with "Rock The 40 Oz" and included "500 Channels" and "Born To Die" by STZA's prior band Choking Victim and "3000 Miles Away" by another of STZA's prior bands, Star Fucking Hipsters. The set also included favorites "Clear Channel (Fuck Off)" and "Bedbugs and Beyond" and ended with "Gang Control." Tibbie X led the show, with STZA taking the lead on a few songs and adding the keyboards and an extra guitar in places. If you are a Crack Rock Steady fan, and I am, this was an unforgettable show. They even took time at the end to talk to fans, sign autographs, take selfies, and just hang out. That may have gone on for hours if the venue staff didn't start cleaning up and make us all leave.
